This day in baseball history — keeping the faith, a preview of things to come

On Wednesday, October 10, 1962, the New York Yankees took a 3 games to 2 lead over the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. The Yankees accomplished this by coming from behind to win Game 5 by a score of 5-3.

Game 5 was supposed to be played the previous day, but rain postponed it. This meant that both starting pitchers, Jack Sanford and Ralph Terry, would pitch with four days of rest.

Sanford had shut out the Yankees on 3 hits in Game 3, and he shut them out for three more innings on this day. Meanwhile, the Giants scored a run in the top of the third inning. Chuck Hiller knocked it in with a double that scored Jose Pagan.

The Yankees finally scored off of Sanford in the bottom of the fourth. Tom Tresh led off with a double and advanced to third on a Roger Maris groundout. From there he scored on a wild pitch.

But the Giants regained the lead in their very next plate appearance, a home run by Pagan. The shortstop had hit only 7 homers during the season, while batting a modest .259. However, he was now 7-12 in this Series.

The Yankees tied the game in home half of the sixth inning, again without the benefit of an RBI and this time without the benefit of a ball hit beyond the infield. Bobby Richardson led off with an infield single. Tresh bunted him second. Richardson moved to third on a groundout by Mantle, and scored on a passed ball by Tom Haller.

The score was still 2-2 when the Yankees batted in the bottom of the eighth. Both starters were still in the game. Yankee manager Ralph Houk allowed Terry to lead off the inning. Sanford struck out his opposite number, but then Tony Kubek and Richardson both singled to put runners on first and second.

With Tresh at the plate, Giants manager Al Dark kept the faith with Sanford. It was not rewarded. Tresh smashed a three-run homer. Yankees 5, Giants 2.

The Giants rallied in the ninth. McCovey singled to lead off, and after Felipe Alow struck out, Tom Haller doubled “Stretch” home. Now, the score was 5-3 and the tying run, in the form of the hot-hitting Pagan, was at the plate with one out.

Houk kept the faith with Terry, and was rewarded. Terry retired Pagan on a grounder and pinch hitter Ed Bailey on a line drive to right. As we will see, Houk was only scratching the surface of his faith in Ralph Terry.

The two runs scored by the Yankees without an RBI had made the difference. New York now needed to win only more game, and would have two shots to do it, as the Series moved back to San Francisco.